Seeking Therapy for Grief and Loss

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Seeking Therapy for Grief and Loss

When we think of loss, we often associate it with the death of a
loved one. Loss can come in many other forms, however, that can be just as
difficult in the way they challenge us. We can grieve over the loss of a
marriage or serious relationship, the loss of a job, of even over the loss of a
feeling of security after a traumatic event. Grief over loss can be devastating
if we are not properly equipped to deal with it.

Stages of Grief

The commonly accepted stages of grief after any type of loss are:

Denial and
isolation

Anger

Bargaining

Depression

Acceptance

These stages of grief were actually developed by psychiatrist and
visionary death-and-dying expert Elizabeth Kubler-Ross to describe the process
that patients go through as they come to terms with their
terminal illnesses, according to Psychology
Today. The stages have since been recognized as also applying to those
people who grieve after suffering losses, whether that is the death of a loved
one or some other type of loss.

All those who suffer loss and grief do not pass through these
stages in the same sequence or within the same timeframe, of course. Some
people even skip some of the stages as they attempt to work through their
grief. Universally, though, the process of grieving is a complicated and
sometimes devastating process.

Seeking Therapy for the Grieving Process

Managing the process of grief and loss on your own can be challenging,
if not impossible. The symptoms of grief can affect your physical, emotional,
spiritual, and mental health. Some losses, such as an illness or death in the
family, loss of a job, or a breakup or divorce, may create anxiety or
depression and lead you to dull your emotions with drugs or alcohol.

The grieving process can take years and is often very painful.
Even though friends and family members may be supportive and offer their
condolences or words of encouragement, managing your pain appropriately may
require professional help. Instead of struggling to manage your grief alone, it
is often best to get therapy from trained psychotherapists who can help you
learn to process your loss and deal with its implications constructively.

Therapy can help you by examining the nature of your grief and
exploring positive options for managing your loss. We work with you to
determine the most appropriate plan, depending on your situation:

Psychotherapy – We help you to identify patterns
of self-destructive behavior that may result after a loss. We then work with
you through the critical process of developing healthy coping skills.

Family counseling – Grief can impact the
entire family and one person’s sense of loss should be evaluated and treated in
terms of how it affects the family unit. We encourage and guide you through
communication skills that can help you and your family through your grief.

Substance and mental health evaluations –
Substance abuse can start or be exacerbated by an intense sense of loss and grief.
We work with you to build a treatment plan that addresses the complete picture
of substance abuse and mental health.

Recovery coaching and monitoring – We stay
with you! We work with you to help you create new habits and behaviors that
support and reinforce a healthy lifestyle.

Complicated Grief

When the symptoms of grief are not addressed properly, which can
happen quite often in the case of the loss of a loved one, you may experience
what the American
Cancer Society refers to as “complicated grief.” Unresolved grief can lead to
devastating impacts on your physical and mental health, including:

Continued disbelief in the death of the loved
one, or emotional numbness over the loss

Inability to accept the death

Intense sorrow and emotional pain, sometimes
including bitterness or anger

Blaming oneself for the death

Wishing to die to be with the loved one

Feeling alone, detached from others, or
distrustful of others since the death

Trouble pursuing interests or planning for the
future after the death of the loved one

Feeling that life is meaningless or empty
without the loved one

Loss of identity or purpose in life, feeling
like part of themselves died with the loved one

The Cancer Society emphasizes that treatment in the form of
professional therapy is important for resolving grief and for working through the
loss. If you are experiencing complicated grief, you may be at risk of
worsening emotional illness.

We Can Help

If you or a loved one feels overwhelmed over a recent loss and
struggles to process through the grief, we encourage you to contact R&A Therapeutic Partners today. Raymond
Estefania and Ana Moreno have years of experience finding people the
help they need to meet their challenges, so they can live fulfilling lives.

At R&A Therapeutic Partners Raymond Estefania and Ana Moreno specialize in substance use and mental health disorder evaluations, treatment, intervention and therapeutic/educational consulting for clients throughout the greater South Florida area, as well as nationally and internationally. For more resources and information please visit Therapeutic-Partners.com or on Facebook.